UW-Oshkosh Athletics Reduces Its Sports By Two Programs
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh announced today that it will reduce the number of its intercollegiate athletic programs by two, effective after the 2015-16 academic year. The action will mean a more financially sustainable experience for its remaining student-athletes, and realigns UW-Oshkosh with the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and with Title IX guidelines regarding gender balance in sports.
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Athletics Reductions FAQ Q. Why is this being done? A. The catalyst for this is the upcoming reduction to the UW Oshkosh state budget, but this has been studied for several years. In 2010, an analysis was done on the structure of the Athletics department and it was determined then that we have too many sports to sufficiently support. In 2014, a financial audit was done that made a similar determination. Continuing in this model does a disservice to the entire athletics program. In the best interest of the student-athletes that remain after this reduction, we will phase out these two sports and be in a better position to support our full array of programs. Q. How were the sports to be phased out determined? A. This was an exhaustive process that took into consideration a variety of key criteria including but not limited to whether the sport was an automatic qualifier, the sport had an opportunity for a conference championship, the conference affiliation of the sport and the goal of meeting Title IX guidelines with respect to gender balance on the roster. Q. What are conference championship sports? A. Conference championship sports are those sports sponsored by the majority of member institutions. In the WIAC it is five (5) schools that need to participate. We only have three (3) in Men’s Soccer and four (4) in Men’s Tennis. Q. How many teams (Schools) do you have to have to be an NCAA (AQ) Automatic Qualifier? A. 7. Q. What are the Title IX proportionality percentages of student-athletes to general student body? A. Based off of 2013-14 numbers. General Student Body Student-Athletes After phasing out Soccer & Tennis Q. Why not cut Gymnastics because it is not an NCAA sport on our campus? A. The first criteria were if it was a conference championship sport. By definition, the WIAC conference championship sports are the majority of schools that sponsor that sport. The second criteria were an automatic qualifier. This does not specify NCAA requirement. Our Gymnastics team participates in regional and championship tournaments as a member of National Collegiate Gymnastics Association. Q. Can the affected sports fundraise to keep from being phased out? A. No. A healthy program needs stable, ongoing funding. Q. What will be done with the money saved? A. It will contribute to the stable funding and support of the remaining programs, athletes and coaches. Q. How many athletes are impacted by the decision? A. There are 35 student-athletes and two coaches affected. Q. What, if any, governance groups were apprised of this decision? A. Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC), Intercollegiate Athletic Committee, Oshkosh Student Association (OSA) and Chancellor’s Cabinet, Athletic Department, coaches and support staff. |
Affected by the action are the men’s soccer and men’s tennis teams; both men's and women’s track & field and men's and women’s cross country will also be combined under a restructured coaching staff. The action brings UW-Oshkosh’s total from 21 to 19 varsity sports and will result in the loss of two coaching positions.
The decision is being announced now to give student-athletes as much time as possible to consider their options and plan their next steps. Both sports will play their full 2015-16 seasons. In total, there are approximately 35 students in the two sports directly impacted by the decision.
“With a significant budget reduction being anticipated from the state, it makes sense to look at the portfolio of programs being offered and decide what still makes sense for UWO,” UW-Oshkosh Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Darryl Sims said. “We owe it to our students to provide a high-quality and positive competitive experience. As costs rise and budgets shrink, that becomes more difficult. Therefore we need to look at what we offer with a critical eye.”
The criteria used in defining the effected programs included the level of achievement the student-athletes can attain and the need to better align the full array of programs with guidelines set in Title IX. The Title IX statute is designed to prevent discrimination based on gender and over the years has evolved to include guidelines around appropriate gender balance on the roster of all programs offered.
“We looked at whether the sport had a conference championship to participate in and if it was an automatic qualifier in the WIAC conference, among other criteria,” Sims said. “If we offer a varsity sport, we want to make sure the experience is optimal for the student-athlete, and if not then we need to decide if the funds to operate it are better leveraged in other programs.”
UW-Oshkosh is committed to the success of all student-athletes and believes in providing a competitive and rewarding experience. This decision is a result of an analysis done in 2010 on the Athletics department structure in addition to a financial audit in 2014. With rising operating costs and a tighter budget, UW-Oshkosh can provide a better experience for the remaining sports by reducing the programs in the array of offerings.
“This is the hardest decision I’ve had to make as the athletic director,” Sims said. “It affects the lives our student-athletes, the impacted coaches and the whole athletics department.”
While the institution is still working through the state budget process, making responsible cost-saving decisions now is the right thing to do. It is possible additional sports could be considered for elimination the second year of the state budget.
"UW-Oshkosh’s athletics program is a critical piece of the University," UW-Oshkosh Chancellor Andrew Leavitt said. "This is an extremely difficult decision, but it is being done in the best long-term interests of our student-athletes."
An open forum is scheduled for the campus community and the general public on Wednesday, April 8 at 12 p.m. in Reeve Union room 307.